Upside Down Plum Cake is a newish take on what is known as a retro cake that is now being seen as a good dish to make again. Upside down cake is one of those oft not made cakes, and when it is there is usually pineapple involved. Have you ever eaten upside down cake?
The best trick with this dish is that there’s a secret ingredient in it…passionfruit. The gloriously underrated passionfruit comes to play with plums in something I’ve not seen often in recipes. The flavors burst and mellow with each bite of this and it could become a cake that gets made and remade with each new season of seasonal fruit onhand - somehow the plums are perfect for right now though.
Growing up with a German mother meant that yeasted (I don't think that's a word, but I'm rolling with it) plum cake was made every summer and we didn’t often eat it any other way in baking. It felt a little weird, in fact, to make this cake which feels so different from how I know this fruit.
I'm not sure how she gathered the energy to bake in the middle of summer, but fruit doesn't wait around, in fact, the surplus that always comes from food in the summer is basically asking to be turned into anything and everything and so here we are with an upside down cake. What is your go to use for summer produce?
Why you'll love this
Plum is center stage
An often overlooked stone fruit gets it's moment and is sweeter thanks to a quick passionfruit syrup.
Light cake crumb
The cake is light thanks to polenta and ground almonds meaning this feels light and makes for a perfect snack cake.
How to prepare Upside Down Plum Cake
- Make that syrup: The passionfruit syrup is simmered and created.
- Pour it: Pour the syrup into the base of your cake tin.
- Lay em out: Lay the sliced plums on top of the syrup in the base of your cake tin.
- Whip it: Beat the butter and sugar until combined.
- Yogurt: Add the eggs and beat and then the Greek yogurt.
- Dry ingredients: Add the dry ingredients to the cake batter.
- Batter up: Combine to form your cake batter and spoon on top of the plums, smoothing the top out.
- Bake: Bake until a skewer comes up clean and the cake is golden on top.
- Invert: Invert the cake onto a plate and set aside to cool fully.
- Serve: Slice and serve with a little whipped cream or spoonful of yogurt.
FAQ's for the best Upside Down Plum Cake
What is the best way to bake a cake with syrup in a springform tin?
If using a springform cake tin, lay aluminum foil underneath as the syrup and plum create quite a sauce which will drip whilst baking and this will keep cleanup easy.
Could I substitute passionfruit in this cake?
The passionfruit adds a beautiful flavor and helps the syrup form, however, a great sub would be 2 tablespoons of orange juice.
More fruity cakes you'll enjoy
How to make:
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and greaseproof your cake tin.
To make the syrup, place the water, sugar and ground cardamom into a saucepan on medium heat, until the sugar has dissolved, and the syrup has simmered for approximately 3 minutes.
Add the passionfruit pulp and allow to simmer for a further 3 minutes until slightly thickened.
Pour the syrup into your cake tin and smooth out evenly across the base of your tin.
Lay the sliced plums down into the syrup around the entire base of your cake tin. Set aside.
Meanwhile, place the butter and sugar into a bowl and beat until combined, approximately 2 minutes with a hand beater.
Add the eggs and whip until well combined and fluffy, a further 2 minutes with a hand beater.
Toss in the Greek yogurt and vanilla extract and fold until well combined and smooth.
Add the almond flour, polenta, plain flour, baking soda and baking powder to the wet ingredients and fold through until the batter is smooth.
Pour the cake batter on top of the plums and spread out evenly, tapping the base of the cake tin to ensure bubbles have been removed from the batter.
Place in the oven and bake for 50 minutes or until golden brown on top and a skewer comes out clean in the center.
Remove and allow to cool for 5 minutes before inverting onto a plate.
Allow to cool.
Slice and serve with a spoonful of whipped cream or Greek yogurt.
Dig in!
Upside Down Plum Cake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: Serves 10 1x
- Category: Cakes
Description
Punchy passionfruit works beautifully with finely sliced plums and a light cake with almond flour and polenta to make this upside down cake a modern version of an old classic.
Ingredients
Syrup
60 milliliters / ¼ cup water
50 grams / ¼ cup superfine/caster sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
1 passionfruit pulp
Cake
65 grams / 2.3 ounces butter, room temperature
125 grams / ⅔ cup superfine/caster sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon sea or kosher salt salt
71 grams / ¼ cup Greek yogurt
50 grams / ½ cup almond flour
120 grams / ¾ cup plain flour
40 grams / ¼ cup polenta
4 grams / 1 teaspoon baking powder
3 grams / ½ teaspoon baking soda
300 grams / ⅔ pound plums, sliced into ⅛ slices and pit removed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and greaseproof your cake tin.
- To make the syrup, place the water, sugar and ground cardamom into a saucepan on medium heat, until the sugar has dissolved, and the syrup has simmered for approximately 3 minutes.
- Add the passionfruit pulp and allow to simmer for a further 3 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Pour the syrup into your cake tin and smooth out evenly across the base of your tin.
- Lay the sliced plums down into the syrup around the entire base of your cake tin. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, place the butter and sugar into a bowl and beat until combined, approximately 2 minutes with a hand beater.
- Add the eggs and whip until well combined and fluffy, a further 2 minutes with a hand beater.
- Toss in the Greek yogurt and vanilla extract and fold until well combined and smooth.
- Add the almond flour, polenta, plain flour, baking soda and baking powder to the wet ingredients and fold through until the batter is smooth.
- Pour the cake batter on top of the plums and spread out evenly, tapping the base of the cake tin to ensure bubbles have been removed from the batter.
- Place in the oven and bake for 50 minutes or until golden brown on top and a skewer comes out clean in the center.
- Remove and allow to cool for 5 minutes before inverting onto a plate.
- Allow to cool.
- Slice and serve with a spoonful of whipped cream or Greek yogurt.
Notes
Recipe by Roamingtaste
Nutrition
- Calories: 210 calories per serve
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